BuaNews (Tshwane)
Gabi Khumalo
8 May 2008
Cape Town — About 136 social development organisations in the Cape Town Metropolitan are to benefit from a R2.3 million allocation to improve grants-in-aid.
Making the announcement on Wednesday Mayoral Committee Member for Economic, Social Development and Tourism Councillor Simon Grindrod said the city's Department of Social Development had followed a vigorous process when selecting the beneficiaries.
The six areas which will benefit from the grants-in-aid are those focusing on early childhood development, street people's programmes, HIV and AIDS initiatives, gender development, youth development, alcohol and substance abuse prevention programmes.
Mr Grindrod explained that 49 early childhood development centres throughout the Cape Town Metropole are to receive R513 160 grants-in-aid, which comprises 22.29 percent of the social development budget.
Fourteen organisations involved in support for street people will receive R480 900 including 20.89 percent of the budget.
A total of R374 000 will be allocated to 29 HIV and AIDS organisations, R359 262 to 13 gender support organisations, R346 103 to 23 youth development organisations and R228 885 to eight bodies involved in alcohol and substance abuse prevention programmes.
Councillor Grindrod said that the demand for funding far outstripped the available funding.
"A total of 429 applications for funding amounting to R40.7 million were received, of this, 293 failed to adhere to the requirements of the city's Interim Grant-in-Aid policy.
"The city's main objective with grants-in-aid is to boost organisations and initiatives with the greatest potential to plough back these resources into the community and create a multiplier effect," Mr Grindrod said.
He encouraged applicants who were unsuccessful in obtaining funding to carefully study the criteria contained in the city's policy and to reapply it during the next round.
Presenting a national budget in February, Finance Minister Trevor Manuel said by providing social grants government was relieving poverty.
Social grants received an additional social assistance which will amount to R12 billion over the next three years.
The total number of grant beneficiaries is 12.4 million, and expenditure on social assistance will be R75.3 billion in 2009.
The increase in number of social grants is part of government's national War Room for a War Against Poverty which was announced by President Thabo Mbeki in his State of the Nation Address in February.
The War Room will bring together departments such as Social Development, Provincial and Local Government, Trade and Industry, Agriculture and Land Affairs, Public Works and Health as well as provincial and local administrations.
They will work with non-governmental organisations and business to identify the interventions required in specific households and implement them as a matter of urgency.
Social transfers, Mr Manuel said are just part of the war on poverty, and must be matched by investment in capabilities and opportunities through skills, economic expansion and development of social infrastructure.
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